Hollow
by Bloody Sunrise
Summary: After Naruto goes after Sasuke, Sakura's life spins out of control. Now five years later she returns to Konoha a different person. Can Kakashi see through her disguises and save her from herself? WARNING:References to Rape. Rated M to be Safe.
1. Chapter 1

**THIS IS IMPORTANT!!! PLEASE READ AUTHORS NOTE!!! **

AN: First of all you should know that I only started watching Naruto 3 weeks ago and I have not read the manga; Also the only episodes I have seen are the ones during the chunin examine.

Secondly, I am an American and I know nothing about the caoorect usage of honorifics so I will try to keep them to a minimum.

Third, and most importantly, I have never written fan fiction before, in fact I have never written mush of anything before. So I desperately need you to review so I can decide whether or not to continue. **So please! please! please! review and tell me what you think!**

* * *

Chapter 1

Sakura stood outside the gates of the village she once called home. Her once short rose-colored hair was now long and black, her bright green eyes now a cool gray, a crimson mask, reminiscent of Kakashi's, covered her nose and mouth. She steeled herself against the onslaught of memories that she knew were coming.

It had been almost five years since she had been back, and as she looked in on her former home she almost wished it had been longer.

_**FLASHBACK**_

_Shortly after Naruto left to find Sasuke, her parents had died. After their deaths she became very close with Kakashi, he had taken it upon himself to make sure she knew she was not alone. His presence was a great comfort to her and she had begun to live her life again. She trained vigorously with Tsunade, learning everything she could and quickly becoming one of the top kunochi in the village. With Kakashi and Tsunade's guidance she passed the jonin exams with ease._

_But every once and a while the sadness began to creep up on her. Normally when this happened she would go to Kakashi, he was able to comfort her like no other. Unfortunately, on one occasion, Kakashi was nowhere to be found. Sakura learned later that he had been on a mission, but this news was of absolutely no comfort to her now._

_It had been on the one year anniversary of her parents death. With Kakashi absent she did the only thing she could think of, she went to a bar and got drunk._

_After several rounds she was approached by some villager, he sat down and part of her was happy for the company. He continued to buy her drink after drink until she could no longer sit up by herself. He politely offered to walk her home and in her alcohol induced stupor she said yes._

_He guided her with an arm around her shoulders but as soon as they were outside he roughly pulled her into an alley. Her mind struggled to understand what was happening as he threw her against a wall. He pressed himself to her, his hands roughly groping her. She whimpered no as he forced himself on her. She tried to fight back but her intoxicated body refused to comply._

_When he had finally finished he simply walked away. She slid to the ground and just lay there awhile. Her head rolled back against the cool bricks and she closed her eyes allowing sleep to come._

_She woke to the sound of someone calling her name, it was Kakashi. He had just returned from his mission to find her lying disheveled in an alley. She stood as quickly as she could, hiding the telltale signs of last night. She could have written it off as a bad dream except for the pain between her legs._

_She attempted to laugh off what happened saying that she had just passed out but Kakashi knew something was wrong._

_After that night in the alley something in Sakura broke. She began to withdraw from everyone including Kakashi. She put every ounce of energy she had into her training. She applied to ANBU, much to Kakashi's shagrin, and was readily accepted._

_She excelled in ANBU, quickly becoming one of the top members of the strategic planning unit. She was just beginning to become comfortable again when Naruto returned with Sasuke. Before, she had thought that when Naruto and Sasuke returned things would be better, it would be like before, Team 7 together again. But nothing was the same anymore. _

_She tried her best to act normal around them, to fit in again. But the truth was, even with them around she still felt alone. The longer she was around them, the more alone she felt until she finally couldn't take anymore. She requested the first long term assignment available and left without saying goodbye._

Sakura shook off the unpleasant memories and continued toward the village. 

She had a feeling it was going to be a long day.

* * *

Sakura sat stiffly in Tsunade's office. The debriefing had taken hours and all Sakura wanted to do now was go home, take a shower and sleep. Unfortunately it didn't appear that Tsunade was going to let her off so easily.  
For the last five years she had been assisting various allies of the leaf village with strategic planning, tactics and the occasional mission. 

"So, Sakura" Tsunade began " What's with the new look?"  
Sakura stared at her for a moment before realizing what she was talking about  
"You mean my hair?" she asked tentatively  
"Yes" Tsunade said, her lips quirking slightly with amusement. "Your hair and eyes, and since when did you wear a mask?" she asked  
"Oh, well…my hair and eyes tended to make me stand out and I didn't want to draw attention to myself." Sakura stated simply.  
"And the mask?" Tsunade pressed  
"Well…to be honest, it became somewhat inconvenient trying to do my job when the male shinobi kept hitting on me. I found that wearing the mask was an effective deterrent." Sakura answered.

She knew she should have told Tsunade the real reason that she chose to change her appearance, but she wasn't ready. And besides, it wasn't really any of her business what Sakura did so long as she got the job done.

Tsunade laughed out loud "You know Sakura you don't have to wear it around me, I don't swing that way"

Sakura slid the mask down and it pooled around her neck. She felt a little naked without it but decided it would be rude to keep it on.

"So…is there anything else Tsunade-sama? I was kind of hoping to head home, maybe get some sleep." Sakura hinted.  
"Hold on for just a moment Sakura, there's someone I want you to say hello to and he should be here any minute." Tsunade said, looking impatiently at the large clock on the wall. Sakura sighed internally, trying to guess who it was that she was going to see.

* * *

Kakashi sighed as he made his way to the Hokage's office, he couldn't imagine what she needed him for now. Things had been quiet lately and missions had been scarce. As he approached the door to her office something made him stop. He could feel someone behind the door, someone familiar. But he couldn't quite place it. He knew who it reminded him of but this chakra felt different than hers. Stronger.

His mind must have been playing tricks on him. He pushed the door open and took it the room.  
Tsunade was sitting at her desk as usual, but there was someone else in the room with her.

He slowly took in the young woman sitting before him.  
She had long hair the color of coal and cool gray eyes that seemed so familiar. She wore an ANBU uniform that seemed to hug every curve perfectly. He was certain that he had never seen this woman before, he would have remembered.

He cocked his head slightly, staring at her before turning to Tsunade. "Kakashi!" Tsunade said sternly "You're late again"  
He shrugged his shoulders slightly, trying to come up with an acceptable excuse, and failing miserable.  
Tsunade looked at him expectantly "Well aren't you going to say hello?" she said nodding toward the beautiful young woman that sat across from her.

Kakashi looked confused for a moment, he didn't know this girl, did he?  
He stepped further into the room to introduced himself. "I am Hatake Kakashi" he said bowing slightly "And you are?"

Tsunade was barely able to stile a laugh as she saw this. She looked over at Sakura and nodded that she should also introduce herself.

Sakura sighed softly, she didn't have the energy for this so she decided to do it as quickly as possible. She stood and faced her clearly confused former sensei. She closed her eyes in concentration, releasing the jutsu that kept her hair dark. Long pink hair flowed down around her shoulders and she opened her now green eyes slowly as realization dawned on Kakashi's face.

"Kakashi, it is good to see you again" she said, forcing a smile to her lips.

She quickly turned to the Hokage and bowed. "Now, if you will excuse me, I really need to get home." she said before disappearing in a burst of flower petals and leaving her former sensei standing there, too stunned to speak.

* * *

Sakura pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail and performed the jutsu necessary it keep it dark. She slid her mask back up and slowly walked out of Hokage tower.  
She knew it was extremely rude of her to just up and disappear like that but at the moment she didn't care. All she wanted right now was to go home.

* * *

**So??? What do you think? Continue or not? Review Please. **


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thank you all so much for your reviews.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  


Chapter 2

Kakashi stepped out of Hokage tower, searching the streets for the pink hair kunochi. As it turned out Tsunade only wanted Kakashi there because of Sakura.  
Tsunade told him that once Sakura was settled in, he was going to be training with her. Tsunade wanted a full report on Sakura current skills before she was sent on anymore missions. 

Kakashi was finally able sense Sakura's chakra and he started after it. When he caught up to her he noticed that her hair was black again and she had a crimson mask (that looked eerily familiar) covering her mouth and nose.

Now that her had found her he was at a complete loss for what to say. He stayed in the shadows, following her, desperately trying to think of something to say, when she stopped suddenly.

She called out over her shoulder "Are you going to stalk me from the shadows all night or did you have something to say to me?" Kakashi realize the words had been directed to him and quickly disappeared from the shadows and reappeared next to Sakura.

She glanced at him briefly and then continued walking. He shoved his hands into his pockets and followed.

"Well?" she said, obviously waiting for him to say something.  
He thought for a moment and then spoke in a low voice "You've been gone a long time Sakura, I thought we should catch up."

Sakura sighed softly. She wasn't in the mood for this, but she knew it would have to happen sometime, so she might as well get it over with.

"Fine" she said softly, exhaustion evident in her voice "I'm on my way home, but you're welcome to join me."

He nodded his agreement and they walked in silence all the way to her apartment.

* * *

Sakura stood in front of apartment 113 and the bent down, retrieving the spare key from under the mat. She quickly unlocked the door and pushed her way inside, leaving the door open behind her as an invitation for Kakashi.

She had come by here earlier to drop off her bags before going to see Tsunade. When she was first there the smell of stale air had been almost unbearable, but after a few hours with every window open it was much more tolerable.

Kakashi entered behind her and looked around the room. Five years worth of dust had built up on almost every surface and the air still smelled stale. He saw her shoes and katana by the door and heard noises coming from the kitchen.

"Make yourself at home Kakashi" she called out from the kitchen.  
He pulled the door shut behind him and plopped down on the couch causing a cloud of dust to explode around him.

Sakura returned from the kitchen as the dust cloud settled. She set a cup of tea on the coffee table in front of him and carefully sat down in a recliner across from him.

He looked at her for a moment noticing that her crimson mask had been pulled down and was now pooled around her neck. He cocked his head slightly and looked at her fully, taking in her new appearance. Her hair was long and pulled into a tight pony tail, with a few strands on either side framing her face. She was taller now and she had definitely filled out more, her tight ANBU uniform accentuated every curve. Her body was more toned now, but still very feminine.

"So…" she started "What did you want to talk about?" her words snapped him out of his silent appraisal and he refocused his eyes on hers, noticing something that he had missed. Her eyes, those bright green eyes seemed a bit dimmer than he remembered. They had lost their sparkle and in it's place was ice.

She cleared her throat waiting for him to speak.  
He decided that the best course of action was to start with something small.  
"Why did you change your hair?" he asked.

She sighed, wondering how many times people would ask that question."As you probably know I spent a great deal of time in Suna over the last five years, during this time I was allowed to join in on several missions. After the first mission I realized the my hair and eyes draw quite a bit of attention and in doing so made me a prime target."

What she didn't tell him was that she had requested to go on all those missions. The more dangerous the better. It made her feel alive again, if only for a short time.

She hoped that her explanation had satisfied him and that he would decide to go back to his usual quiet self. No such luck.

"So…What about the mask, don't tell me that I've started a trend" he said as a smirk formed beneath his mask.

"Hardly" she said repressing the urge to roll her eyes. "It was a gift from the Kazekage, he thought it would help with my breathing since I was not used to the sand. Plus it scared off the ninja who were more interested in hitting on me than paying attention."

Kakashi chuckled slightly at this."So why do you still wear it?" he asked.

"Habit I suppose. Honestly I feel strange without it."

There was a brief moment of silence as Kakashi formed his next question.  
"Sakura" he said softly, his tone becoming more serious. "Why did you leave?"

So there it was, the question she had been waiting for. _What was she supposed to tell him. That she couldn't stand being there anymore, pretending that everything was fine. That she felt empty inside and being around Naruto and Sasuke made it worse. That she had been drowning and not even he could have saved her. No. This was her pain and no one else's._

"I just needed a change of scenery" she said, hoping he would leave it alone.

She took his silence as the end of the conversation and stood up

"Well, I need to take a shower" She turned and walked away, pulling her hair down as she went.  
She shook loose her now pink hair and continued to the kitchen with her tea cup.

When she returned, Kakashi noticed that her mask and white ANBU overshirt were missing. She walked past him and pulled the black undershirt over her head, leaving her in only her black ANBU pants and bindings. As her hair brushed to the side he noticed a tattoo on her back, just below her neck. He strained to see it better and thought he saw the words "Never Forget."

His curiosity got the better of him "Nice Tattoo" he said, smirking.

She stopped and turned to him, realizing that he would want an explanation.

"Oh, that?…drunken mistake. Never go to a bar with a tattoo parlor right next door." It was partially true, she had been slightly drunk when she got it. But it wasn't a mistake, it was a reminder.  
She didn't want to forget that night. As painful as it was, that night gave her strength. It drove her to become stronger, so she would never be that weak and vulnerable again.

She turned away from him and continued to the bathroom.

* * *

Kakashi sat there, struggling to make sense out of everything he had seen tonight. He hadn't moved from his spot on the couch. He wasn't ready to leave just yet.

She had shocked him, and that wasn't an easy task. First her coldness, she was nothing like the love-struck girl he remembered. She was calm and controlled, but something was off. He saw something in her eyes when he asked why she left. It was only a flicker and it was gone as quickly as it came, but it was something.

What surprised him the most was her undressing in front of him. Before she would have fainted from embarrassment being that undressed in front of him. Obviously she had gotten over her qualms about modesty.

He continued to struggle with what he had seen, going over it again and again in his head. Desperately trying to figure out what had happened to her to make her this way.

* * *

Sakura stood under the scalding water, letting it wash away the dirt and grime from her trip. She thought about how the reunion with Naruto and Sasuke would go and it turned her stomach.  
She sighed and decided that would be tomorrow's problem, for now her only worry was the red hue of her skin from the far too hot water.

She turned off the shower and toweled herself off, squeezing the extra moisture from her hair and wrapping the towel around her. She stepped out of the bathroom and immediately notice Kakashi, sitting in the same spot as when she had left.

He looked to be in deep thought so she spoke to get his attention. "You're still here?"

Her words snapped him out of his thoughts and he turned to look at her.

She stood there in nothing but a towel, steam rising from her warm body, her hair glistening in the soft light of her apartment. His eyes followed a drop of water that traveled down her neck, across her collar bone and down underneath her white towel…

He shook his head slightly. _He shouldn't be staring at her like that. She used to be his student. She was fourteen years younger than him._

* * *

She noticed his discomfort at her lack of clothing and slipped into her bedroom. When she came out she was wearing a simple white tank top and a pair of black shorts.

She walked over to him and sat down in the recliner again, he obviously had more to say.  
"Why are you still here?" she asked, hoping to finish this conversation as soon as possible.

"I wasn't finished before."

"Obviously" she said dryly " So what else do you want?"

"Tsunade wants you to train with me again, as soon as you are settled in." he said.

"Training?" she said incredulously. _They wanted her to train with him again. What was she twelve. Did they think she had gotten rusty? Who the hell did they think they were?_  
She felt the anger boiling up inside her and struggled to keep it in check.

He saw the anger flash in her eyes and thought he should explain before she took his head off.  
"Actually it won't really be training. Tsunade just wants to know what your current skill level is before she allows you to go on anymore missions."

Sakura's anger subsided and she sighed a little. She understood where the Hokage was coming from. She had been gone five years, it was understandable that Tsunade would need to know if she had kept up her training before sending her out on missions. Sakura wanted this done as soon as possible so that she could put in for a transfer to one of the more active squads.

"So when do you want to do this?" she asked impatiently.

"When ever you feel up to it"

"How about tomorrow afternoon?" she said. "About three?"

"Works for me. See you then" he said, before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

She sighed softly and padded to her bedroom, stripping off her clothes and sliding between the sheets.

She closed her eyes and prayed for sleep to come.

* * *

**So...that was chapter 2.  
Sorry it took so long**

**I know this was a short chapter and I'm sorry, I'm hoping that the next will be longer and it should have some Sasuke and Naruto, maybe even some Genma!  
**

** Please Review!!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Sorry this took so long. The next chapter should come sooner.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.   


* * *

Chapter 3

_She stalked him from the shadows, the man whose face was forever ingrained on her memory. She watched as he accosted a young woman on the street. She dropped to ground behind him, the rage building inside her. He turned around and told her to piss off. She brought the heel of her palm up swiftly connecting with his face, breaking his nose._

_  
He stumbled back, clutching his nose as blood dripped down his face. The young woman he had been harassing broke free of his grip and ran away._

_  
He muttered a string of curses before lifting his hand to strike the kunoichi in front of him. She dodged his sluggish movements easily and then slid a kunai from her holster. He took a step back when he saw the feral look in her eyes. She continued forward, backing him into a wall. He pulled his hands up slightly to ward off her attack but it did no good. A strangled scream came out of his mouth as the kunai sliced across the flesh of his throat… _

Sakura sat up with a start, brandishing the kunai from under her pillow, eyes wildly darting around the room in fear. She relaxed a little when she realized where she was.

_  
You're in Konoha. In your apartment. It was just a dream _she thought to herself, panting slightly.

It was the same nightmare that she had every night for five years

She set the kunai on her night table and moved to put her feet on the floor. She put her face in her hands, rubbing her eyes and wiping the cold sweat from her forehead.

She stared at her alarm clock. It was only 3am. She knew she wasn't going to get any more sleep tonight. She stood slowly, stretching to get the kinks out and made her way to the bathroom.

She splashed cool water on her face and gripped the edges of her porcelain sink as she looked at herself in mirror. The memories came flooding back to her as if it had been yesterday…

_  
She saw him. _

_  
He had been just walking down the street without a care in the world. She was frozen to the spot, body trembling in fear. He walked right past her like she wasn't even there. She felt relieved at first but then her anger began to swell. He hadn't even noticed her!_

_  
He had raped her, stolen her innocence, violated her in the worst way possible and now he didn't remember her!_

_  
Her body still trembled, but not in fear anymore. Her body shook with rage. She promised to make him pay for what he had done to her._

_  
She turned and followed him down the street taking note of which apartment building he entered. She darted home to prepare. The sun was going down and she didn't have much time._

_  
She returned as the last bits of light faded from the horizon. She crouch on the roof of the building across the street, watching for him. He exited the building and walked toward a bar. She watched the whole time waiting for her moment. _

_  
He stopped in front of some alley, harassing some poor young woman who happened to be passing by._

_  
The memories of what he had done to her flashed in front of her eyes and she dropped down from the roof desperate to prevent this young woman from experiencing those same things._

_  
She approached him from behind, making no attempt to be silent. He had told her to piss off so she broke his nose, giving the frightened young woman a chance to escape._

_  
He attempted to back hand her but she easily dodged his blow. He may have been a match for her when she was completely drunk, but not now._

_  
The longer she looked at him the more the rage inside her grew until she felt herself pulling a kunai from her holster._

_  
The look of fear in his eyes only made her more angry. Her body seem to act of it's own accord as she backed him against the wall of the alley. Images of what he had done to her flashed in her mind as she slid the blade across his neck._

_  
Blood sprayed from his neck, drenching her face in red. His body slumped to the ground as she watched the life drain from his eyes._

_  
She wasn't sure how she got home, but she had. She almost didn't recognize the person staring back at her in the mirror. Her forehead was covered in blood. It dripped in her eyes and down on to the sink. A single tear ran down her cheek as she stood there, frozen._

_  
After the shock wore off she stepped into her shower to rinse the blood off. Then it hit her. The weight of what she had just done came crashing down on her, pushing her to the ground. She crawled to the corner and hugged her knees to her chest as tears poured from her eyes. She just sat there sobbing as the water turned icy._

_  
She sat there for hours, until finally she had no more tears left to cry. She turned the water off and struggled to stand, her limbs stiff after sitting there for so long. Her lips were blue from the cold and her body shook uncontrollably. _

_  
She felt numb, empty, like there was nothing left inside of her. _

_  
It was that night that she decided to leave Konoha._

* * *

Sakura stared at herself in the mirror. The dark rings around her eyes were a testament to her lack of sleep. That night had forever changed her. She was always cold now, she could never seem to get warm enough. It seemed as though her heart had been frozen.

She shook off the painful memories and pulled on some clothes. There was no point in going back to bed tonight, she knew sleep would be impossible.

She slipped through her window and dropped gracefully to the ground.

Sakura wandered aimlessly through the deserted streets of Konoha. Her mind drifting back to all the memories this place held. She wasn't sure how she got there, but somehow she had found her way to Hokage mountain. She decided that this was as good a place as any to spend the rest of her sleepless night.

She stared out over the slumbering village, thinking that from this vantage point it looked like nothing had changed. But that was far from the truth. So much had changed since she left. Her friends had all grown up and moved on. She couldn't help but think that she no longer belonged here.

As much as she loved Konoha, the truth was she missed Suna desperately. The sand village had become like home to her and she didn't want to leave. But when she was ordered home she knew there was no way to change the Hokage's mind.

Her original mission had ended after only one year and Tsunade had ordered her to come home, however Sakura wasn't ready to return. So she went to Gaara for help. Gaara made a deal with the Hokage on Sakura's behalf. Sakura would remain there as a medic and in return Konoha would be greatly compensated for the use of such a high level medic-nin.

Tsunade reluctantly agreed, she didn't want to lose Sakura for such a long time but she knew that the village needed the money.

So Sakura stayed. She worked as a medic-nin for Suna and in her time off she trained with anyone who was willing. Even Gaara trained with her on occasion. Over the years Gaara became one of her closest friends, though he would never admit such a thing. He liked having her around because she was not afraid of him. Even though he was the Kazekage now many people still feared and hated him.

Ever since Naruto left to find Sasuke, Sakura felt unbearably lonely. And after they returned the feeling did not go away. Gaara understood loneliness more than anyone and his presence was a great comfort to her. Now that she was back in Konoha, she found that she felt more alone than ever.

* * *

Kakashi slowly climbed the steps up to Hokage Mountain, his mind running through everything Sakura had said. The whole thing disturbed him more than wanted to admit. The way she left had always bothered him. She had just disappeared one day without so much as a word to any of them.

He had known something was wrong but had decided to let her alone for the time being, waiting for her to come to him when she was ready. Maybe that was a mistake. Maybe he should have gone to her and demanded to know what was going on. But she left before he even had the chance.

His mind had been so caught up in thought that he almost didn't notice someone else's presence on the mountain. He stopped suddenly when he realized who it was. She was just sitting there, staring off into the distance. Her pink hair wafting gently with the breeze. She looked different than earlier, more relaxed. Her face was flooded with emotions. He almost felt bad for seeing such a private moment.

But he found himself unable to look away. She looked so sad and alone, and for a moment she was the young, innocent girl that he knew. The one who tried so hard to impress her teammates. The one who had been left behind in their quest for power. The one who had blossomed seemingly overnight, finding strength that no one knew she had. Kakashi found himself drawn to her, his body moving ever so slightly toward her.

Her demeanor instantly changed. Her entire body stiffened, her hair fading to black. Her face became a blank slate, emotionless.

She had sensed him.

He froze, knowing he'd been caught. His mind screamed at him to run but he knew it was too late. She already knew who was watching her and trying to run now would only mean trouble for him later.

He stepped out of the shadows and walked toward her hesitantly.

"You're not following me are you?" she asked.

He chuckled softly and rubbed the back of his head. He was trying to figure out a way to explain why he was watching her when she spoke again.

"Can't sleep, huh?"

He nodded slightly and sat down next to her on the bench.

"Guess you can't either." he said smirking.

"It's nothing new to me" she said, her voice's tone mirroring her face. Cold. Emotionless.

He frowned slightly. "As I recall you used to sleep like a log, once you were out nothing could wake you."

"Things change" she said simply, her voice laced with exhaustion.

This was another reason she missed Gaara. In Suna, on the nights when sleep evaded her, she could always find Gaara. He didn't mind when she showed up at his door at four in the morning. Sometimes they would talk, but mostly they would just sit, enjoying the comfortable silence.

Kakashi stared at her for a moment. He noticed the dark circles under her eyes, evidence of her sleepless nights. But even in her exhausted state, he could feel the power radiating off her. She was completely aware of her surroundings. He remembered how her body reacted instinctively to his presence.

As soon as she felt him, her body became defensive. She had tensed every muscle in her body, preparing herself to either fight or flee. Her hand had immediately touched her kunai pouch. Her chakra began to build up in her hands and feet. And, although he wasn't sure why, her hair and eyes became dark again.

It was incredible how quickly she had responded to his presence. Though he was thankful that she recognized him in time or he may have become target practice for her.

He felt a swell of pride at how quickly his former student had advanced. Then he began to feel guilty that he had not recognized her potential sooner. He was grateful to Tsunade for taking Sakura under her wing. The Hokage was a better teacher for Sakura than he ever was.

They sat there in silence for what seemed like ages, until the first lights of dawn peaked over the horizon. The light cascaded over them and for a moment the whole world seemed to glow.

Sakura stood slowly, taking one last look at the village below before turning to Kakashi.

"It's time for me to go. I have things to do today." she said, her face as emotionless as ever.

She began to walk away but stopped for a moment and spoke "I'll see you at the old team 7 training grounds, 3o'clock. Don't be late."

He just sat there, watching her leave. He laughed softly at her last comment. For a moment she sounded like the old Sakura.

He had a feeling it would be an interesting day.

* * *

**AN: I know I said that this chapter would have Sasuke and Naruto in it but thing didn't work out that way. Sorry.  
They should have an appearance in the next chapter. (I think I'm going to have Sakura kick the crap out of Sasuke) **

**Please Review!!!!! **


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I am so sorry. Please forgive me! I know it has been awhile since I updated but I had some personal stuff to take care of. Hopefully this chapter will meet your expectations.**

**  
**

* * *

  
Chapter 4

Sakura lounged lazily in a tree overlooking the training ground, waiting for Kakashi. He was already two hours late, but she didn't mind. She enjoyed the solitude. It was quiet, just the way she liked it. The only sounds were the birds singing softly and the wind flowing through the trees.

She allowed the sounds to wash over her, easing her troubled mind and relaxing her tense body.

Then a new sound entered her little sanctuary, the sound of people talking. Her entire body tensed up, prepared to fight if necessary.

She listened closer as the voices became clearer. It was shouting, two people having an argument. She laughed to herself. She recognized those voices.

Two people entered to training ground, their argument starting to reach a climax. One was tall and blonde, with bright blue eyes. The other was the same height but had dark hair and onyx colored eyes.

Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke.

They looked older now, but she would recognize them anywhere.

She crouched on a branch, watching them. This could be interesting for her. Since Kakashi wasn't there yet, she could have some fun with them. She'd been wanting to test herself against them for quite some time and now was the perfect opportunity.

Sasuke stood in the training grounds, ignoring Naruto's rant about how he was the greatest shinobi in all of Konoha and how he would be Hokage. He tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for him to finish so that they could spar.

Suddenly Naruto was silent and Sasuke turned to see what was wrong. He looked at Naruto, whose mouth was hanging open slightly and then followed Naruto's gaze. A beautiful woman had appeared in the clearing. Sasuke was shocked. How could she have approached without him sensing her?

He paused for a moment to take in her appearance.

She had long black hair tied up in a pony tail, and cold gray eyes that seemed somehow familiar. She had a crimson mask tied around her face, obscuring her mouth and nose. She wore a skin-tight, black halter top that ended a few inched below her breasts, showing off her perfectly toned abs. She had mesh sleeves going all the way down to her wrists where they met with black fingerless gloves.

A Konoha hitai-ate was tied around her waist like a belt. She wore a very short black skirt with slits going up both sides. Underneath that were a pair of mesh shorts that reached to just above her knees. Her black boots went to just below her knees and appeared to have a few weapons stashed inside them. She also had a kunai and shuriken pouch around her thigh.

Even though her face was covered he had no doubt that she was beautiful. She had curves in all the right places but her body was still toned. She was lean and fit as if she been training non-stop for years.

He couldn't help but stare as she stalked towards

them with a feral gleam in her eyes. She stopped a few feet away from them and Sasuke nudged Naruto. He quickly shut his mouth and wiped the drool from his face.

"You're engaged remember? To Hinata." Sasuke whispered to his blond haired teammate.

"Right, I know." Naruto said, blushing fiercely.

The woman smirked under her mask. "Don't suppose you two are interested in sparing with me. I was supposed to meet someone here to train but he's two hours late and I'm getting bored." she said, smirk still firmly in place.

Sasuke was shocked, obviously this woman had no idea who they were, otherwise she would never have wanted to spar with them. They were famous in Konoha. The Kyuubi container and the last heir of the Uchiha Clan. They were two of the strongest shinobi in the village.

"Who are you; I've never seen you before." Sasuke said, curious as to how this woman didn't know who they were.

She laughed out loud and stared at the boys. "You may not know me but I certainly know you, Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto, feeling left out, decided to speak up. "What about me? Don't you wanna know my name??"

"I know who you are, Uzumaki Naruto." she said causing Naruto to pump his fist in victory.

"If you know who we are then why would you want to spar with us? Do you have a death wish?" Sasuke asked.

She laughed again "Arrogant, aren't we? The reason I want to spar with you is simple. I'm bored. Besides it would be a nice warm up before my sparring partner gets here."

"Warm up?" Sasuke growled, irritated that this girl saw him as nothing more than practice.

"So, you two interested?" she said, the feral gleam returning to her eyes.

Naruto shouted his agreement, obviously excited to be fighting someone new. Sasuke merely grunted an affirmative and took on a fighting stance. This girl irritated him and he was ready to show her exactly what he was capable of.

* * *

Sakura sat in a tree overlooking the training grounds. She watched as her shadow clone prepared to fight with her former teammates. From her vantage point she would be able to see the entire fight. Learning how to make shadow clones was certainly paying off. She distributed her chakra evenly between herself and the shadow clone, and not even Sasuke had realized that it was a fake. 

This way she would be able to observe Sasuke and Naruto's fighting styles, see how much they improved, and find their weak spots.

Sasuke got into a fighting stance but before he had a chance to start Naruto jumped in front of him, declaring that he would get to fight her first.

The Sakura clone tensed, preparing for Naruto's attack. As she had anticipated he came straight at her, trying for a frontal assault. The clone reached into a pouch and flung her hand out toward Naruto's approaching form.

He skidded to a stop, thinking she had thrown a kunai at him. He looked around for a weapon and saw none. Just as he was about to continue his attack, a flurry of cherry blossoms floated down around him. He looked up in surprise, trying to find the source of the petals that were raining down on him.

Suddenly his entire body went limp and he fell face first to the ground.

Sasuke ran forward to check on him "What the hell did you do to him?" he shouted.

"Don't worry about him, he's just asleep. He'll wake up in a few minutes with a massive headache, but he'll be just fine." she said to the infuriated young man.

Sasuke stood up and faced the woman, slightly peeved that Naruto had been taken out so easily. He had underestimated this girl, but now he was ready. She wouldn't catch him in something like that.

Sasuke stood tensed his body preparing to attack. He threw a kunai at her which she easily blocked with her own. He used the brief moment when she was blocking the kunai to disappear and then reappear behind her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pressed a kunai to her throat.

Her body froze at the feeling of cold metal pressed to her neck. He leaned forward smirking and whispered in her ear "You lose."

She took advantage of his momentary lack of attention, grabbing the arm that was wrapped around her shoulder and throwing him across the training ground.

He smashed into a tree and slid to the ground. But was back on his feet in an instant. She crouched low and pulled half a dozen kunai out of nowhere.

The Sakura clone threw the kunai at him, smirking. He pulled out his own and managed to deflect every one. He smirked right back at her. "Is that the best you can do?" he said.

She simply stared at him, saying nothing. He noticed she wasn't staring at him, but at his stomach. He looked down and saw two senbon sticking out of his abdomen. He didn't see her throw them, he hadn't even noticed them hit him. But he wasn't concerned.

He laughed slightly. "Do you really think two little senbon, that aren't even in vital targets, will stop me?" he asked haughtily.

"Yes, I do." she said simply.

He lunged at her, not even bothering to remove the needles sticking out of his gut. Suddenly he fell to his knees, his arms hanging limply at his sides. He couldn't move his body. He raised his head slightly to look at her. "What did you do? How…?"

She took a few steps forward and crouched in front of him. "You underestimated me again." she said.

She stood up and turned around, looking into the trees. "Did you enjoy the show?" she called out, to seemingly no one.

With a puff of smoke, Kakashi was suddenly standing in front of her. "Yes I did actually. You've improved a lot over the years." he said.

Kakashi stepped around her to look at Sasuke, who was still on his knees, frozen.

"So how exactly did you do that?" he asked, faint curiosity in his voice.

Before she could answer, Sasuke spoke up. "Kakashi, you know this woman?"

Kakashi turned to Sakura, ignoring Sasuke's question. "You didn't tell them?" he asked her pointedly.

She shook her head in the negative.

It was at that moment that Naruto woke up, clutching his head in pain. "What the hell happened? I feel like I was run over by a herd of angry bulls."

"Don't worry Naruto, you'll be fine." Sakura said.

Naruto quickly jumped up and ran over to Sasuke's paralyzed form. "Who are you?" he said pointing a finger at the young woman. "And what's Kakashi sensei doing here?"

Kakashi ignored Naruto and looked up at the trees. "Why don't you come on down and fix whatever you did to Sasuke." he said.

The real Sakura looked down on him from her hiding spot in the trees. She sighed softly and dropped gracefully to the ground. The shadow clone that was standing with Kakashi disappeared with a poof, causing Naruto and Sasuke to both gasp. "You mean the whole time I was fighting a shadow clone?" Sasuke said in disbelief.

The real Sakura emerged from the trees and gave a slight wave to the boys before walking over to them. She knelt down in front of Sasuke and touched the two senbon sticking out of him. There was a faint blue glow before she pulled them out. Sasuke's body collapsed completely and she stood. "I've restored control of your body, you'll be fine."

Sasuke pushed himself off the ground and stood slowly, testing his body. Then looked at the woman before him and demanded "Who the hell are you?"

Kakashi spoke softly to her "I think you should show them."

The two boys stared intently at her as she slowly slid her mask off. She then reached up and pulled her hair down as it faded to pink. The boys stared in awe at the pink-haired, green-eyed kunochi standing in front of them.

"S..Sakura?" Naruto whispered.

Sasuke stood there, a look of shock covering his usually emotionless features. Sakura lifted her hand in a short wave. "Hi guys, long time no see." she said.

"Sakura!" Naruto shouted as he lunged for her, pulling her into a bone-crushing hug and spinning her off the ground.

"Naruto, I can't breathe." She said as her face began to turn blue. Naruto quickly put her down and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Ha Ha Ha…Sorry about that." He said taking a step back.

Sasuke stood there, mouth hanging open slightly as he stared at the woman in front of him. _Could she really be Sakura? The same love-sick girl who used to follow him around._

He knew that she had become stronger while he was with Orochimaru. He knew that she had studied under Tsunade and had somehow become ANBU, but this woman in front of him was nothing like the girl he knew. Even after his return she was still weak, self-conscious, and emotional.

This girl was different, stronger, confident. She had beaten him with seemingly no effort, using a jutsu he'd never seen before. This couldn't be Sakura, could it?

Sakura walked towards Sasuke until she was right in front of him. He seemed to be frozen, lost in thought. She lifted her hand to his face and snapped his jaw shut. Her action brought him out of his internal rant. He stared at her face, taking in every detail.

Her bright green eyes were a bit dimmer, but no less enchanting. They were feline in appearance and almost seductive. No longer wide-eyed and innocent. Her lips were soft and pink and she seemed to have grown in to her forehead.

He stared at her as if seeing her for the first time. Suddenly she snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Sasuke… Hello, are you in there?" she said before poking him in the forehead. He snapped out of his thoughts and batted her hand away.

"So your back." he said, finally finding his voice.

"I think we've established that already." she said.

Naruto bounded in between them, smiling ecstatically. "Where have you been? What have you been doing? Are you back for good? What was that jutsu you hit me with? Did you miss us?" He said in one breath.

Sakura slapped a hand over Naruto's mouth to get him to shut up. "Naruto, take a breath, please." She removed her hand and Naruto took a deep breath and waited for her to speak.

"Naruto, I've still got some stuff to do with Kakashi so how about this: I'll take you and Sasuke out to lunch tomorrow and answer all your questions, ok? But only if you guys leave right now." she said.

"Seriously, you'll take us to lunch? Even ramen??" Naruto said, his mouth watering.

"Yes, even ramen. But only if you leave now." she said firmly.

Naruto quickly grabbed Sasuke's wrist and forcefully dragged him out of the training grounds.

"I think that went well." Sakura said as she watched Naruto and Sasuke disappear into the distance. She turned to face Kakashi only to find him staring at her intently. "What?" she said.

"Nothing." he said, turning his gaze elsewhere. "Shall we get started then?"

"No way." she said. "I waited for you for two hours. I'm not sparring with you now, just because you decided to show up. Besides that last jutsu I did takes up a fair amount of chakra. We'll have to do this another time."

He stared at her for a moment. "Okay, if your not up to sparring, how about you just explain exactly what you did to Naruto and Sasuke." he said

She ran a hand through her pink hair and sighed. "Which do you want me to explain first?" she said.

"What you did to Naruto. It wasn't a genjutsu, was it?" He said.

"You couldn't tell?"

"No, I wasn't using my sharingan at the time."

"Well you wouldn't have been able to copy it anyway." he raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing, allowing her to continue. "What I used on Naruto is fairly simple actually. I just threw a handful of cherry blossoms above him. However, each blossom has been infused with a poison that renders a person unconscious. When I throw them, the air around the blossoms becomes filled with the poison and when it is inhaled, the person passes out almost instantly." she said.

"Why didn't you pass out?" Kakashi asked, now curious.

"Well, when I designed the poison I managed to build up a natural immunity to it."

"I'm impressed. Now what was that you did to Sasuke?" he said.

"I attached chakra strings to the senbon that I threw at him. Once they entered his body I used the senbon as conductors for my chakra, allowing it to slip inside and paralyze his muscles. I don't usually use that technique to paralyze. It took more energy than I anticipated to find the right nerves and muscles to paralyze without causing damage." she said.

"Where did you learn that jutsu?" he asked, clearly impressed.

"I came up with it on my own." she said. "Although Kankuro helped me perfect my chakra strings."

"Really? Wow, you certainly have improved." he paused for a moment. "What did you mean when you said that you don't normally use that jutsu to paralyze? What do you normally use it for?" he asked.

She sighed softly. She didn't really want to explain everything to him right now because it would bring up more questions that she didn't feel like answering. But there was no point in refusing to answer; he'd get the information eventually. No sense in delaying the inevitable.

"Normally…I use…that particular jutsu to…cause an enemies internal organs to…explode. It's much easier to destroy the internal organs than it is to control them without causing damage." She searched his face for a reaction, and she got one.

For a split second a look of shock appeared in his visible eye. But it was gone as quickly as it came. She knew that the naïve, innocent little girl image he had of her had been shattered. And for that, she was glad. She was tired of everyone seeing her as the lovesick little girl that was always left behind.

That little girl had died, in a dank, disgusting alley, five years ago.

She turned back to Kakashi. He seemed to be staring at her, but as she looked closer she realized he was staring through her. His mind seemed to be racing, trying to process what she had just told him. She knew it would take some time for him to come to terms with what she had said, so she decided that this was the perfect time to make her escape.

And if she was lucky maybe she would get a chance to enjoy what was probably her last night of anonymity.

* * *

**AN2: Hey there. Very sorry about the long wait. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. **

**I have never written a fight scene before so I hope this one wasn't too bad. **

**Also, the jutsu I made up, I wasn't sure if they would even be possible or plausible so if they are too far fetched please tell me. I just thought that they kinda made sense, but if they don't I need to know.**

**Please Review!**

**AN3: I can't seem to get the spacing right. No matter what I do the text always get compressed. I even tried double and triple spacing but ever time I save it, it goes back to single spaces. If anyone has any advice, I'd appreciate it.  
**


End file.
